# Replacement Stem



## shannensmall (Jun 30, 2010)

Where can you get a replacement stem for a freehand?


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## gibson_es (Jan 23, 2010)

i know my local shop in tampa has a guy that they refer everyone to, takes him about a week. i know there are online sites as well. i would suggest going to your local pipe shop and seeing if they can refer you to someone, or if you want, you could call edwards pipe and tobacco off henderson in tampa and see if they can give you the guys number, maybe ship him the pipe, i would think shipping for such a short distance would be next day if shipped in the early part of the day.


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## ChronoB (Nov 4, 2007)

shannensmall said:


> Where can you get a replacement stem for a freehand?


The best? George Dibos, in my opinion: Precision Smoking Pipe Rejuvenation & Repair but slow as Christmas

Norwood's NORWOODS PIPE REPAIR has done good work for me in the past.

Walker Briar Works is ok, but he seems to have a lot on his plate: Walker Briar Works - Repairing Fine Pipes Since 1968


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## Fia (Jul 13, 2010)

ChronoB said:


> The best? George Dibos, in my opinion: Precision Smoking Pipe Rejuvenation & Repair but slow as Christmas
> 
> Norwood's NORWOODS PIPE REPAIR has done good work for me in the past.
> 
> Walker Briar Works is ok, but he seems to have a lot on his plate: Walker Briar Works - Repairing Fine Pipes Since 1968


Although I havent had George make me a stem he did do a great rejuvination job for me. I have heard nothing but good things about him as well. Another name to throw in the hat would be Mark Tinsky! Good Luck


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## shannensmall (Jun 30, 2010)

Thanks for the info guys. I should have been a lil more clear. Don't laugh, I'm looking for new stems for a pipe or pipes I will be carving. I am home all day with nothing to do, so I thought I would add this to my ever expanding list of things to do to kill time. I plan on starting with cheap pine (not to ever be smoked out of) just to get the feel for it. Then when and if I think I'm good enough to work with briar, I'll buy some blanks and go to work. I have wood working skills and basic knowledge of carving, so I thought this would be fun. 

So I need stems, nothing fancy or custom made to fit any particular pipe. More like a cheap stem that I can carve a pipe to fit. I asked about the freehands, because the mortise joint on a freehand pipe seems like it would be the easiest to work with. And the freehand shapes seem like they would also be easier to carve.


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## gibson_es (Jan 23, 2010)

you can get corncob replacement pipe stems for around $6 i believe. but usually you canget the whole pipe for that if you look around, try getting one of those, or find cheap pipe on ebay that have a cracked bowl, so are selling cheap, and use that.


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## CWL (Mar 25, 2010)

This is what you want. Pipe-making supplies.

Stems are labelled as "bits" here, btw.

J.H. Lowe Supplies


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## shannensmall (Jun 30, 2010)

good idea! I might also put a few phone calls into some of the repair services and see if they have a generic source.


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## shannensmall (Jun 30, 2010)

CWL said:


> This is what you want. Pipe-making supplies.
> 
> Stems are labelled as "bits" here, btw.
> 
> J.H. Lowe Supplies


BINGO!!eace:

Thanks


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## Fia (Jul 13, 2010)

You might also want to check these out:

http://www.amsmoke.com/Services/PipeKit.html

Pre drilled so you can even carve your own pipe.


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## shannensmall (Jun 30, 2010)

Fia said:


> You might also want to check these out:
> 
> http://www.amsmoke.com/Services/PipeKit.html
> 
> Pre drilled so you can even carve your own pipe.


Thank you for that link. I like the ones they listed better than what I've been able to find on the bay and other pipe sites. Those are what gave me this idea.

I am also very seriously considering trying some of this 17-21 LB. MONTANA SOAPSTONE BLOCK FOR STONE CARVING - eBay (item 220715543549 end time Jan-02-11 13:00:41 PST) as a medium for a pipe. I know when I was a kid I used to smoke "other" substances out of soapstine pipes, and never had any issues I could tell from it. I know it would be heavy but eh, I'm not a clincher.


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## indigosmoke (Sep 1, 2009)

CWL said:


> This is what you want. Pipe-making supplies.
> 
> Stems are labelled as "bits" here, btw.
> 
> J.H. Lowe Supplies


Just to let you know you still might have to make some minor adjustments to the pre-formed stems to make them fit tightly. Even though they come in "standard" sizes, each stummel and stem tends to vary slightly from the standard so it might be a bit too loose or large. JH Lowe is a quality operation though. I've ordered lots of pipe making supplies from them.


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## shannensmall (Jun 30, 2010)

indigosmoke said:


> Just to let you know you still might have to make some minor adjustments to the pre-formed stems to make them fit tightly. Even though they come in "standard" sizes, each stummel and stem tends to vary slightly from the standard so it might be a bit too loose or large. JH Lowe is a quality operation though. I've ordered lots of pipe making supplies from them.


Thanks! I assume you would do this by wrapping a piece of sand paper around the joint and spin it until you get the desired fit?


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## indigosmoke (Sep 1, 2009)

shannensmall said:


> Thanks! I assume you would do this by wrapping a piece of sand paper around the joint and spin it until you get the desired fit?


That can work if you are very careful. You might want to pick up a couple of stems though in case you go too far or get it out of round. PIMO sells a tool you can use with a hand drill to attempt this as well, but it is tricky to set up and doesn't always produce acceptable results. It probably wouldn't be worth it to buy just for a couple of stems. PIMO also sells pre-cut stems:

Pipe Making Information and Supplies from PIMO Pipe Craft

FYI- many pipe makers use metal lathes to cut their tenons, if you think you might want to get into pipe making.

Check out www.pipemakersforum.com for tons of information on pipe making.

This is also a good article that explains the basics of pipe making and contains a very good list of pipe making suppliers at the bottom of the article.

Pipe Making - Pipedia

Lastly, your might want to check out Tyler Lane's website for pipe making information and videos. Very informative.

Tyler Lane Pipes


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## Jack Straw (Nov 20, 2008)

shannensmall said:


> Thanks! I assume you would do this by wrapping a piece of sand paper around the joint and spin it until you get the desired fit?


"Sort of." It's a pain in the butt, and it's basically impossible to get a perfectly round, untapered tenon if you are sanding off anything more than just a trifle by hand. Also the molded stems I got required a lot of finishing work to get them comforable and presentable, let alone fit. Much more of a pain than getting a stummel shaped and sanded, just because it is so small, and minor changes have a drastic impact on the feel of the stem in the mouth. That's not to say you shouldn't give it a shot though, the stuff is cheap and where there's a will there's a way! Keep in mind the stems from JH Lowe generally come by the dozen, so you'll have plenty of tries. I would call up JH Lowe and ask Tim West what he recommends. He is a very nice guy.


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## indigosmoke (Sep 1, 2009)

Jack Straw said:


> I would call up JH Lowe and ask Tim West what he recommends. He is a very nice guy.


+1 on this. Tim's a great guy. Actually, I've been amazed how open and friendly most of the experienced pipe makers are when you talk to them. You'd think there might be a 'keep it secret, keep it safe' type of mentality you see with some other artists and craftsman in different fields, but not in the pipe making fraternity. I'm continually amazed at how helpful and generous with their time the experienced pipe makers are on pipemakersforum.com. Probably for the same reasons pipe smokers are such a generous bunch.


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## gibson_es (Jan 23, 2010)

you have me wanting to carve one now. lol. haha.


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## shannensmall (Jun 30, 2010)

WOW Guys, thank you very much for all the info!

I seriously thought some of you would baulk at the idea of someone wanting to carve their own pipe, hence my reluctance to post what I was up to in my OP.

I'm pretty handy with wood and used to carve all kinds of lil figurines when I was younger so I shouldn't have much of a problem doing this. I think the hardest thing is going to be getting a perfectly round shape, if I ever try doing any round shaped pipes. There is a reason why the hardest thing in the world to draw is a perfect circle.


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## shannensmall (Jun 30, 2010)

Well, went shopping today. My starter tool set includes:

New Dremel, 
120 piece head set
80 piece sanding and polishing set
7 piece file set
a coping saw
16 carbide replacement blades
sanding disk(s) and drums for my drill
7 inch wood clamps
6 inch C clamps
buffing wheel with buffing compounds

Ok I didn't "need" all those tools, but like I ever "needed" an excuse to buy more tools.

Further down the slope I fall.


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## gibson_es (Jan 23, 2010)

damn, thats a bug shopping list....


what happend to:

pocket knife
wetstone
tin of baccy



lol. the baccy is of coarse to smoke while widdling your new pipe. haha


i have the small batt. powered dremel and love it, so im sure you will be happy with it, maybe you could write up a how to, and if it works out, post it up for people like me. lol


and the above list is obvious that it wont cut it for your choice of material..... just a joke.


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## shannensmall (Jun 30, 2010)

No, I have an industrial strength high speed rotor grinder with diamond cutting heads for that.  

The dremel is for when I go briar.


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## gibson_es (Jan 23, 2010)

lol! if thats the case, i give you 24 hours from time of product arrival to have this finished. lol!


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